The Gingerbread House
With Christmas approaching, let’s have fun making many gingerbread houses with our children, one for each little one, it will surely be a fun activity for us and for them.
A typical Christmas dessert that, besides being delicious, will surely be fun and cheerful to make, perhaps during the holidays to keep them occupied and to spend happy moments together.
Merry Christmas to everyone
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 3 Hours
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 12
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, and Spring, Christmas
Ingredients
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- 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (or whole wheat)
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup acacia honey
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger (finely grated)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 egg whites
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- as needed colored sprinkles
- as needed candied fruits
The Gingerbread House
Tools
What we need
- 1 Stand Mixer
- 2 Baking Trays large and flat
- 1 Pastry Cutter wheel
- 1 Parchment Paper
- 1 Piping Bag with very thin nozzle
- 1 Rolling Pin
Steps
Combine both sugars, the egg, butter, honey, flour with spices, salt, and a pinch of baking soda in a bowl and work them for some time.
Until you get a rather soft and well-blended dough.
Then form a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap to rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour. You’ve made the gingerbread dough.
After the time has passed, take the gingerbread dough from the fridge, place it on a floured board, and roll out a sheet about 1/6 inch thick with a rolling pin.
With the help of a cardboard template, cut out the shapes you will need to make the house. You need to make 2 identical rectangular walls, 2 for the fronts with roof peaks, and 2 for the roof sides.
Place the various pieces of the house on baking trays and bake at 375°F, cook for 15/18 minutes.
Let the cookies cool completely.
Beat the egg whites until stiff, then gradually add the powdered sugar and a few drops of lemon juice.
Until you get a smooth and fairly thick cream
Put the royal icing in a piping bag with a very thin nozzle and start decorating the various components of the house.
Now choose the base to place your gingerbread house on. I used a small plastic tray that I will later cover with some decorations.
On the front part, draw the door and windows, then decorate all around with a bit of icing.
On the part that will serve as the roof, decorate in waves as if making shingles and complete with sprinkles and candied fruits.
Attach the walls to each other using the icing as a glue, distribute a little royal icing around the perimeter of the various pieces, then join the various pieces, using items at hand to keep them together.
Let dry for about an hour.
Meanwhile, you can decorate with sprinkles wherever your imagination takes you.
As soon as the walls are well glued, proceed with the roof.
Now put a generous layer of icing along the entire perimeter of the roof pieces, and on the high parts of the house (where the roof should be placed), place the two pieces that will form the roof.
With the remaining icing, fill any gaps between the various cookie joints to seal everything well.
To make the chimney, use small candies.
Then let your gingerbread house dry for 1 hour.
I made 3. The gingerbread house is ready, happy holidays.
The Gingerbread House. You can safely store it for up to 20 days.
